CHARLESTON, S.C. — After Jessica Pegula’s harrowing opening match that ran nearly two-and-a-half hours, she had a far easier time in defeating Magda Linette 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday.
She, the top seed, advances to the quarterfinals at the Credit One Charleston Open, and Friday will play No.12 seed Victoria Azarenka, who knocked off Taylor Townsend. It was a sharp contrast to Pegula’s gritty come-from-behind win over Amanda Anisimova that was decided by a third-set tiebreak.
“The scoreline was straightforward, but I don’t think she was playing her best tennis,” Pegula said afterward in a Tennis Channel interview. “But I served really smart and I was playing really well in these conditions, which were tricky.
“Luckily I was able to play the controlled, aggressive mentality in the wind and was able to pressure her. I think for her to try and be more aggressive in these conditions is tough. So I think I drew some errors there.”
Pegula has now beaten Linette the two times they’ve met. The last Pegula loss to a player with a lower ranking than Linette was a year ago in Rome 2023 — and that was to No.168 Townsend.
